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Dubai Is the New Mecca for Theme Parks

Abu Dhabi, Shanghai also among locations planning impressive amusements

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 3, 2008 3:56 PM CDT
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(Newser) – The big US amusement companies—Six Flags, Universal, SeaWorld, Warner Bros., MGM—have all seen the future, and it's in Dubai. That's where the world's largest playland—a sprawling $64-billion collection of theme parks, golf courses, museums and hotels—is going up, but it's only the most dramatic of projects in the works all over the Middle and Far East, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Singapore and South Korea will all soon be homes to massive entertainment centers, if not quite as massive as Dubailand. The ventures offer big tourism dollars for their host countries, while American companies benefit from licensing royalties and cuts of park revenues without facing much financial risk. An analyst calls the phenomenon “the perfect storm.”

American companies like Six Flags and DreamWorks are helping to create Dubailand, the world's largest theme-park project.
American companies like Six Flags and DreamWorks are helping to create Dubailand, the world's largest theme-park project.   (Getty Images)
Golfer Tiger Woods, second left, looks at a scale model of his project with unidentified officials during the unveiling of his first signature golf course in Dubai, in this Dec. 3, 2006 file photo.
Golfer Tiger Woods, second left, looks at a scale model of his project with unidentified officials during the unveiling of his first signature golf course in Dubai, in this Dec. 3, 2006 file photo.   (AP Photo/Aziz Shah)
Mickey and Minnie Mouse greet visitors during the annual New Year's Day parade at Tokyo Disneyland in Urayasu, near Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse greet visitors during the annual New Year's Day parade at Tokyo Disneyland in Urayasu, near Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008.   (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-su, right, and a Universal Studios rep display a joint agreement during a memorandum of understanding in Seoul, Nov. 27, 2007, as plans are set for a theme park.
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-su, right, and a Universal Studios rep display a joint agreement during a memorandum of understanding in Seoul, Nov. 27, 2007, as plans are set for a theme park.   (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The costume of Tweety Bird greets the visitors during the presentation of the new Warner Bros. theme park to the press in San Martin de la Vega, Spain, Friday, April 5, 2002.
The costume of Tweety Bird greets the visitors during the presentation of the new Warner Bros. theme park to the press in San Martin de la Vega, Spain, Friday, April 5, 2002.   (AP Photo/EFE, J.J. Guillen)
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South Korea • Universal Studios • Dubai • amusement parks • Singapore • Abu Dhabi • DreamWorks • theme park • Shanghai • Six Flags • Dubailand

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